Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Worth the Cost?

Walt Disney World can throw a good party. As costs increase each year, one must ask, is it worth the price? Hard-ticketed events like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom Park can offer experiences you can’t get during regular park hours. Things like special holiday snacks, different character meet and greets, holiday fireworks, shows and parades. Is a little extra holiday cheer worth all this hard-earned dinero?

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Photo Credit: Murtaugh Photography

I’m a huge fan of Halloween, so Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party is always a no-brainer for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Christmas fan, too, but you can get a lot of holiday cheer around all of Walt Disney World Resort without the inflated prices of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP). However, to some, they can most definitely be worth the extra price of admission. Around the $75 mark is when I start to cringe. When you hit the $100 price point, then I really have to question Disney’s thinking.

Here are the reasons I love attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

SNACKS

“Free” snacks are always a way to get my attention. If you want to know anything about me, I will never turn down an opportunity to eat something sweet while strolling through the parks.

Cookies and hot cocoa are part of the party and you can eat & drink as much as you want,all included in the price. The first year I attended the party we had the most delicious Snickerdoodle cookies. I legit still think about those babies.

But last year? Some sort of chocolate chip cookies made their way into the rotation. And they weren’t even good chocolate chip cookies. How does that happen? I like chocolate anything, so I stuck to drinking my weight in hot chocolate.

I love the special holiday snacks they add to different restaurant menus though. Paint something rojo y verde, and I’m in the holiday spirit!

For 2016, it has been reported that there are more complimentary snacks during the party! This brings up MVMCP’s stock.

• Hot Chocolate and Snickerdoodle cookie at Tortuga Tavern in Adventureland
• Eggnog and Gingersnap Molasses Cookie at Heritage House in Liberty Square
• Snow Cone and Snowman Sugar Cookies at Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland
• Spiced Apple Cider and Snowman Sugar Cookie in Pete’s Silly Sideshow Storybook Circus in Fantasyland
• Hot Chocolate and Peppermint Bark Cookie at The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland

DANCE PARTIES

There’s always a dance party to be found at these parties. I love to dance! I don’t do it well, but it brings me joy. The first year I went, we danced all night at Club Tinsel with DJ Cane and Chip and Dale. It was a blast and a highlight of the party for me. I hear it’s at the 2016 party as well at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland.

Another year, they had a dance party with characters in Frontierland. You want to talk about a Country Bear Jamboree? Well those bears can boogie, especially that Liver Lips!

Character Dance Party at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Photo Credit: Tania Lamb, Latina TravelingMom

SPECIAL CHARACTER PHOTOS

I’m still a sucker for taking pictures with Disney characters. I love them! I love them when they have their fancy holiday dresses on or their dapper suits. These outfits are special for the party. I also love when more rare characters come out like the Disney Princesses and their Princes. Heeeeeey, Flynn Rider! OK, I lied. Totally worth $100 to get a pic with that smolder.

Meet and Greet with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Photo Credit: Tania Lamb, Latina TravelingMom

Some other special character meet and greets include Jack Skellington dressed as Sandy Claws, the Seven Dwarfs, and Elena of Avalor with other princesses in Princess Fairytale Hall.

HOLIDAY DECOR

Giant Christmas Tree at Magic Kingdom park. Photo Credit: Tania Lamb, Latina TravelingMom

It’s hard not to be in the spirit of Navidad with so many beautiful decorations. Decorations like a giant Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A., Christmas lights everywhere, Cinderella Castle gleaming with icicle lights, and snow falling on Main Street.

HOLIDAY WISHES

I love watching the fireworks at Walt Disney World and Holiday Wishes ranks right up there!

The colors and the music tell such a wonderful story that gets me in the mood for the holiday.

The season is practically perfect when you sit on Main Street, U.S.A. with a cup of cocoa and a cookie and watch Holiday Wishes go off around Cinderella Castle. When the snow on Main Street, U.S.A. starts falling, that’s just the icing on the holiday cookie.

A gleaming Cinderella Castle during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Photo Credit: Tania Lamb, Latina TravelingMom

That cookie just better be a Snickerdoodle is all I’m saying.

Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party worth it?

There are a lot of free things to do around Walt Disney World to get into the holiday spirit, so it’s not a requirement. Try visiting all of the Disney Resort hotels and Disney Springs. However, the party can be an extra bonus, and it is fun! If you think you’ll make the most out of it by trying all of the special events or special character meet and greets, then it may be worth it for you. If you just want to ride attractions, then I would use that money on a regular park ticket.

Also if you have young children who go to bed early and won’t stay up late, then I don’t think it’s worth it. You can technically get into Magic Kingdom at 4 p.m. with your party ticket, but party activities don’t start until 7 p.m. If your kids get cranky and tired by 8 or 9, then you’re basically paying for 2 hours of party time. If you have children who love to stay up late (think midnight at New Years Eve), then I would do it. But I wouldn’t plan an early morning the next day. My girls, ages 12 to 4, love to stay up late, love holiday everything, and love characters, so it’s worth it for our family.

I’ll save y’all a seat for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade! ¡Feliz Navidad!